3D Background with Sand Waterfall complete build, including mistakes and fixes.

ADVERTISING

LuxoGear Emergency Whistles with Lanyard

Shop now »

NOCO Genius GEN5X2, 2-Bank, 10A (5A/Bank) Smart Marine Battery Charger

Shop now »

RHINO USA Boat Trailer Transom Straps (2PK)

Shop now »

LUCKY Kayak Portable Fish Depth Finder

Shop now »

Seaview 180 V3 Full Face Snorkel Mask

Shop now »

Most popular comments
for 3D Background with Sand Waterfall complete build, including mistakes and fixes.

Live comments
Comments on YouTube

abbes dimiri - 7 years ago

how to make ciment

rakshith gowda - 7 years ago

your dedication was at the peek hats off

Martin Hamer - 7 years ago

Exellent video dude. This is exactly the kind of thing I'm after building. I just have one question. Would you not use any sealant other than g4? Or just plenty of cement and let it thoroughly dry.
Many thanks for the inspiration. Cheers.

Anthony Joey - 7 years ago

Like to know about how to properly let the air bubbles to escape and sand to properly expel from the outlet?

Marinas ionut - 7 years ago

What is G4?

craig wilson - 7 years ago

Marinas ionut G4 is a pond sealing solution. It works very well to waterproof something but if it comes into contact with polystyrene, we'll you've seen the damage it can do :-(

Arkham Asylum - 7 years ago

The Moi head was an awesome addition

craig wilson - 7 years ago

Ha ha thank you Arkham, we call him Dave. He's been in every tank I've had for the last 6 years :-)

Asian Arawana - 7 years ago

Sandfallls demo. Good job but the only problems the sand tube , can tryed to be cut at 45*. 4:36 thanks for sharing.

mlpridemore1 - 7 years ago

how did u build your filter ?

ermie Abraham - 7 years ago

awesome ...thanks for sharing...

10. comment for 3D Background with Sand Waterfall complete build, including mistakes and fixes.

PRITAM GHOSH - 7 years ago

Sir please contact number

lou Slats - 7 years ago

Amazing job on the build, thumbs up.

Hea ther - 7 years ago

Well done and major props for keeping it real!

محمد قمر فاروق - 7 years ago

Awesome

fredwilma1000 - 7 years ago

Hi Craig,
I can sympathise with you 100%. In my old house I covered a complete bedroom wall with large sheets of polystyrene
Then cut loads of oblong slits along the wall then glued the slits back randomly over the wall to make a 3D affect. Then I put lights on the top and bottom ,green and blue. It looked really good but then my wife or ex wife suggested I paint the polystyrene to give it a nice finish ....so I did....next morning most of my wall was melted and on the floor! Any idea how to build a cheap coffin Craig.,,,,,,,,I'm erm....working on a new project.

Santosh Shetty - 7 years ago

nice... loved the involvement and dedication. keep it up Bro

jack nelson - 7 years ago

good work

lou lou - 7 years ago

why couldnt you put actual video?

Gabensy - 7 years ago

Respect you didn't give up

Gabensy - 7 years ago

Well done

20. comment for 3D Background with Sand Waterfall complete build, including mistakes and fixes.

Ryan Downie - 7 years ago

This video is amazing. I currently have a 55 gallon tank and a 30 gallon tank with an Oscar in each tank. This video inspired me to go out and buy a 75 gallon, which hopefully I'll do in the future, then both my Oscars will have more room :) Hopefully this works out

BHARATH KUMAAR - 7 years ago

water falls model

Lee chez - 7 years ago

looks great, I would like one too but I like a lot of flow and water movement in my tank so would be a nightmare with the sand.

mack24 - 8 years ago

I for one, enjoy the slideshow way you made this video. Alot of times which a project this detailed listening to someone blabbering on and on that long is more annoying than beneficial. I'm a visual learner so seeing it and reading it really helped. I saw this for the first time yesterday and it inspired me to start one for my 90 gallon. I originally like the idea of just a natural rock background but then I pictured sand falling over old Aztec ruins so that's what I'm trying to accomplish. Cutting out hundreds of little bricks and gluing them on is taking forever but I hope it will be worth it in the end! Thanks for this video!

craig wilson - 8 years ago

Cheers Mack, I took loads of photos while doing the build but the video was shocking so I decided to just do the slide show thing and I think it worked quite well. Over 300k views just amazes me. The other video on how to make the sand fall is nearly at 700k views, that's mental, I really should make a proper video of that ha ha. Thanks for your kind comments.

777_777 - 8 years ago

Fantastic job. Was a pleasure to watch. Thanks for sharing.

craig wilson - 8 years ago

Thank you, that's very kind. I'll be ripping it out sometime soon and making a new one so keep an eye out for the video. I'll even show the damage removing it makes :-)

MEX- Hybrids - 8 years ago

Great Video....
thank you für showing how to do it right!
Best (f)ishes....uuups.....wishes from Germany...

sanjok shrestha - 8 years ago

can we use normal cement

rich andy - 8 years ago

Well worth the effort. Very nice.

Jacob Chrem - 8 years ago

wow great DIY build congrats dude looks amazing

Jeremy Ayaay - 8 years ago

ite better if it just a video to see the flow

30. comment for 3D Background with Sand Waterfall complete build, including mistakes and fixes.

Jazmine ThePuppy - 8 years ago

The commentary made this my new favorite video on YouTube.

Hugo Garcia - 8 years ago

I just want the water fall

Hugo Garcia - 8 years ago

I want to do it bit how you put the water filter or were .I love it I like to know. I have 75 gl fish tank. you think is good idea for it

Hugo Garcia - 8 years ago

Thanks.

craig wilson - 8 years ago

Hi Hugo, I have an external filter, the outlet pipe is behind the background towards the left of the tank and the return pipe feeds back in under the gravel. Thanks for watching :-)

Hugo Garcia - 8 years ago

nice but did it work

MeMiri O - 8 years ago

Wonderful! Thanks for sharing all the learning experiences. How are the fish doing? I understand you do require surface turbulence to ensure enough oxygen in the water, but perhaps you have enough live plants for that?

craig wilson - 8 years ago

Hi MeMiri O, thanks for watching. Yes the fish are thriving as are the plants. I hid an air stone behind the background, there's one in the middle of the background and there's also the air stone that runs the waterfall so there is plenty of aeration and surface movement, also having the filter outlet sending the water back in to the tank from under the gravel helps keep the gravel clean as a lot of the detritus is circulated until it is captured by the filter. The system works very well.

Armin Odobasic - 8 years ago

QUESTION: Is there a way to fill in gaps/holes behind the aquarium background, without drying it and taking the fish out? Is there a substance or material that I can use? My fry somehow tend to squeze through some unknown hole at the side of aquarium, where the background ends, and end up behind the background, or end up in a build in filter chamber, or even worse, somewhere in between. Its literally a 1x1x40 cm tube-cavity in the aquarium corner, that stretches from top to the bottom of the aquarium.

craig wilson - 8 years ago

Glad to be of help :-)

RMN505 - 8 years ago

Wow I was thinking of doing the same thing the other day, thank you for the confirmation :). I'm gonna pour so much sand that none shall pass!

craig wilson - 8 years ago

Hi Armin, I have had the same issue with mine, I found an area at the top of the background where there was a gap and poured sand in to it. the sand settles and fills quite a lot of the voids. Some of the little buggers still get in but it's 1 out of 50 now, not every other one :-)

ZadyB - 8 years ago

Great vid! I wanted to do something similar for my aquarium , but my whisper 30 filter is way too large to be covered. What type of filter did you use???

Damo - 8 years ago

That's bloody good.
Top job.

craig wilson - 8 years ago

Thank you :-)

Claire Bear - 8 years ago

I've just started mine there's a video up but early days yet...There amazing...I'm doing a marine tank so tank disturb the other coral sand I'm using 3 to 6mm with no difficulties...Also used a bendy pipe

Claire Bear - 8 years ago

well done for achieving your wish alot of hardwork

Claire Bear - 8 years ago

complicated there's easier ways yet I like the idea

craig wilson - 8 years ago

I made a bit of a meal of it lol but I learnt a hell of a lot :-)

The Indian Fishkeeper - 8 years ago

Watch The jungle themed aquarium with sandfall made by me. Subscribe like n share :)

https://youtu.be/-dJgF_1Q_ZY

rivahkillah - 8 years ago

What did you use to color the rocks?

rivahkillah - 8 years ago

Thanks :-)

craig wilson - 8 years ago

Hi, I used cement colouring powder, here's a link to the stuff I used. http://www.diy.com/departments/bostik-cementone-black-cement-colouring/35609_BQ.prd?skuId=10978306

Faustina Egoian - 8 years ago

That's awesome!!!

DireWolfCichlids - 8 years ago

Here is my brand new AquaDecor background with African cichlids.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lS1KrePWYvk

Eis Vogel - 8 years ago

Well done, and amazing that you went on even so there were some setback. And btw, nice that the misses helped out too.

Supandi oke - 8 years ago

for make the waterfall sand use the pump or air pump? thanks u

Fatguydoingstuff - 8 years ago

Air pump

Elton Coelho - 8 years ago

boa tarde...
consegui fazer a cascata de areia dentro do aquário com bomba submersa
https://youtu.be/AfRatjyX0oY

craig wilson - 8 years ago

+Elton Coelho Bem feito, parece excelente.

NavarroFamily1 - 8 years ago

awesome! I need your help!! I made a gorgeous background but when I put it in the tank it floats!!! aagh!! I wanted a background not a buoy lol... silicone isn't working..

craig wilson - 8 years ago

+NavarroFamily1 Hi, as you saw in the video, I had to add a hell of a lot more silicone than I originally had to keep the background in place. I initially had just one tube covering various areas of the background and it tore loose overnight. I dried everything, made the repairs and then used 3 full tubes on the back and bottom. Mine displaces something silly like 60 litres of water so as you can imagine it is very buoyant. I don't know of any other way of making it stay in place so I would suggest you allow everything to dry then cover the rear glass and bottom 3 inches in silicone then fit it. You MUST allow it enough time to fully cure, I gave mine 3 days, you can tell it's fully cured, the vinegar smell disappears once it's cured. I also added a length of scrap 20mm PVC to the bottom of the base, stuck in to the silicone and pressed firmly to the base of the background, I wedged it in place with a couple of bits of wood while it was drying so that once everything had set, it was heavily covered on the back, had a good silicone base and the pipe on the bottom. I hope that helps, please feel free to ask any other questions you have, I didn't have anyone to ask so I realise how frustrating errors can be :-)

UnKnown SoldierX - 8 years ago

Awesome. Props. Thanks for the Ideas, and for sharing your headaches, to spare me, mine.

craig wilson - 8 years ago

+UnKnown SoldierX You are more than welcome, I hope you don't have any of the problems I did. Mine were caused by not researching the proper supplies and basically rushing.

50. comment for 3D Background with Sand Waterfall complete build, including mistakes and fixes.

Lauren Newsham - 8 years ago

I have watched this vid a million times. I am slowly gathering my supplies, fish have moved out and i'm nearly ready to go! I decided on fish safe silicone though so waiting for that to arrive in the post. I'm a bit of a tight wad though so I have tried to source my materials for cheap or even free! Sometimes, its just not possible and I appreciate you showing the things that can go wrong too. It does look really good though!

craig wilson - 8 years ago

I have a list of everything I used with links, send me an email address and I'll send you the list. craigcwwilson@gmail.com:-)

Lauren Newsham - 8 years ago

+craig wilson Thank you! I am not on facebook though! Cant stand it tbh! Can I ask what cement you used please?

craig wilson - 8 years ago

+Lauren Newsham Fantastic Lauren, if you haven't already, please come and join the DIY Fish Tanks Projects group on Facebook. You can then show us how your build is coming on and get answers to any questions you may have from me and any number of people who have also built backgrounds and sand falls. https://www.facebook.com/groups/601411626548058/

one HE sent - 8 years ago

awesome video, the sandfall looks great..the fact you showed the mistakes and fixes only adds to the appreciation..

Pierre Brunsmann - 7 years ago

craig wilson

craig wilson - 8 years ago

+oneHE sent Thanks you, I think it's very important to show what can go wrong and how well it can still turn out when you think you've screwed it up :-)

Ablo - 8 years ago

It was too obvious u hadn't coated the cement fully. clearly white spots visible

craig wilson - 8 years ago

The mess was quite amazing, she loves it now though :-)

Ablo - 8 years ago

+craig wilson haha. I'm just about to start 1 tomorrow in my old tank. my Mrs ain't too pleased either lol.

craig wilson - 8 years ago

+Gary Sinnett Cheers Gary, it was squeaky bum time for a while, I thought I'd wasted all the time and effort but it came out well in the end. It's still going strong but I'm itching to have a new design.... The Mrs. isn't pleased though :-)

Ablo - 8 years ago

+craig wilson glad u managed to fix the issue. looks cool m8.

craig wilson - 8 years ago

+Gary Sinnett Yep it was, I thought I'd be OK as I didn't know what G4 did to polystyrene, I found out the hard way lol

Joshua Gonzales - 8 years ago

I thought this was a video that sucks I wanted to see the damn thing work

craig wilson - 8 years ago

+daren barling Thank you :-)

daren barling - 8 years ago

+craig wilson amazing man well done that is the nuts

craig wilson - 8 years ago

check my other videos, there's an update from 2015 that shows it running

Papi Chulo - 8 years ago

This is an awesome DiY

TheCoolStuffHD - 8 years ago

No videos??

TheCoolStuffHD - 8 years ago

+craig wilson Regardless, I appreciate your time and effort put into this slideshow. I enjoyed it. It looks amazing.

craig wilson - 8 years ago

+TheCoolStuffHD No I'm afraid not, It's a slide show and text commentary. I didn't capture any video of the build process as it is very dull and the photos tell the story pretty well.

Maxsteelminergaming 1 - 8 years ago

Wow wow wow I'm gonna try this super talented I can't wait to try it just got 125 gallon

dalboykushti - 8 years ago

thanks Craig nice one

dalboykushti - 8 years ago

can you tell me where you got the 1mm sand from please .

craig wilson - 8 years ago

+dalboykushti Hi, here's a link to the exact same sand I used. I was lucky enough that my local aquatic store had 3 1kg bags in stock, so I bought them all :-) I still have a bag and a half for future projects.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/500g-Bag-of-Natural-White-Silica-Sand-for-Aquariums-/121371922476?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item1c4254902c

sean power - 8 years ago

Impressive,a silent but great video!.

craig wilson - 8 years ago

+sean power Yeah the audio went very strange after I uploaded it so I just removed it, maybe I'll try to add it again lol

Dexter Kuan - 8 years ago

Ok, lesson learnt. just buy the background from the lfs

craig wilson - 8 years ago

+Dexter Kuan Ha ha, where's the fun in that lol. Seriously though, It's very satisfying when you have it right and everything works as it should. You'd also struggle to find something like this kind of background and sand fall off the shelf.

mrrrniceguy - 8 years ago

I like how it came out nice and neat and clean looking. great job!

craig wilson - 8 years ago

+mrrrniceguy Thank you, We love it and spend loads of time just sitting looking at it. The fish seem to enjoy swimming through the falling sand too :-)

The Indian Fishkeeper - 8 years ago

Check out my Avatar style 3d aquarium with sand fall
https://youtu.be/3JcVL66kvpk

The Indian Fishkeeper - 8 years ago

+craig wilson thanks for watching. nylon thread works like charm for floating rocks. I am gonna upload a diy of these rocks soon. so pls subscribe and stay tuned :)

craig wilson - 8 years ago

+MaJoRiT Your tank looks ace. I want to do an Avatar inspired aquarium at some point. Could you tell me what you used to suspend the floating islands? I was thinking fishing line or something similar. Well done, it looks really good.

Felipe Zamudio - 8 years ago

nice job

craig wilson - 8 years ago

+Felipe Zamudio Thank you :-)

Big Col - 8 years ago

great for. I'm thinking of trying this out but not using cement. instead I was thinking of lightly coating silicone and coating in pea gravel and bigger mm sand. I did that style when making my bristle nose cave.

craig wilson - 8 years ago

+Colin Taylor I've seen that done Colin and it is very effective.

Khoi Nguyen - 9 years ago

unlike most people posted their video online, you included your mistakes and how to fixed it. Love It and thank you :D

craig wilson - 8 years ago

Hi, I think it's important to show what can go wrong and how easy it is to mess it up :-) but how well it can be fixed.

Lovely Beauty & Nails - 9 years ago

Well done!

craig wilson - 9 years ago

+Lovely Beauty & Nails Thank you :-)

Dylan Kit - 9 years ago

I have a question

Say you got tired of the back round you made how would you remove the silicon

craig wilson - 9 years ago

+Mr. Shoebox.
Excellent, please take loads of video and photos and share them with everyone else. I run the "DIY Fish tank projects" group on Facebook, come and join and see what others have been doing.

Mr. Shoebox. - 9 years ago

+craig wilson thank u for ur response u did a great job ima try and copy haha

craig wilson - 9 years ago

+Mr. Shoebox. Hi, I would imagine it would be fine in salt water, once it's either fully sealed or fully leached then it should be completely safe. I haven't tested it on salt water though so I could be wrong. Mine has been in the tank for nearly 2 years and I haven't had any problems with poisoning fish but mine are only fresh water tropical.

Mr. Shoebox. - 9 years ago

+craig wilson can this go in Salt water

craig wilson - 9 years ago

+Lord Chocolate Hi there, I am going to be making a new background in the coming months and all I'll do is break the existing background out (I think my heart will break a little too) then just clean the inside of the tank glass with a flat blade like a window scraper or oven cleaner.
I'll use something like this.
http://www.die4laser.com/toaster/TOSC2.jpg

Sultan Mehmood Ghaznavi - 9 years ago

and cement is not a good idea for fish as you saw the cloudy water. normal or high quality silicon would do the job but not permanent on poly. and yes plastic fiber coat gonna cost some extra bucks

Sultan Mehmood Ghaznavi - 9 years ago

Hi!
your idea is mind blowing. but few technical mistakes I noticed as you already know.
I would try plastic fiber coat then remove the poly as there would be no need. only if I got time.
please visit my page on fb

Fish n Aquarium Master
Zamzama

craig wilson - 9 years ago

I would love to work in that industry but unfortunately I am only a DIY builder :-)

Sultan Mehmood Ghaznavi - 9 years ago

+craig wilson you are welcome. I got a business of aquariums. but mostly I make heavy, large and luxury aquariums.

craig wilson - 9 years ago

+Sultan Mehmood Ghaznavi Hi, thanks for your lovely comment. This was my first attempt and I did learn a lot :-) I will be making a new one soon and will be using a different method. Hopefully I won't have the same problems with the new one :-)

Gabe M - 9 years ago

Awesome video Craig! Can you hook me up with the dimensions of your tank? I'd like to do something like this in my 55g, but I'm afraid there won't be enough space in the tank width wise.

Gabe M - 9 years ago

Thank you sir!

craig wilson - 9 years ago

Hi Gave, my tank is 4 feet x 2 feet by 20 inches (front to back) but that makes no difference as I also made a background with sandfall for a little 28 litre tank. The polystyrene used was 50mm or 2 inch :-) I hope that helps

Dabzy - 9 years ago

"Things I learnt"

craig wilson - 8 years ago

+Dabzy I must admit I didn't know whether to use learnt or learned, I looked in to the term and apparently both are acceptable lol http://grammarist.com/spelling/learned-learnt/ Thanks for Watching :-)

Andrious777 - 9 years ago

what type of cement did you use??????

craig wilson - 9 years ago

+Andrious777 Here is a link to the cement I used

http://www.diy.com/departments/blue-circle-extra-rapid-cement-5-kg/147434_BQ.prd?noCookies=false

Ian Atkinson - 9 years ago

Very cool

fundude53 - 9 years ago

dude it was brilliant ime gonna have to build me on of them waterfalls

Christina Ragon - 9 years ago

One of the best diy videos I've seen. love how you point out and captured all the mistakes and flaws. I would of been so fustrated doing all those water changes. Good on you for not giving up and awesome end result :)

JCLJN - 9 years ago

Brilliant! The tank looks great and I'm inspired to do a similar project on mine, which also has a Moi Head (my wife's touch). Thanks for sharing.

dvs - 9 years ago

amazing job!it came out beautifully!

Josias Monge - 9 years ago

Excellent video, but I have a question, where do you put the water heather?

craig wilson - 9 years ago

You are most welcome :-)

Josias Monge - 9 years ago

+craig wilson Great idea, great video, great aquarium and great answers. Thank you so much.

craig wilson - 9 years ago

mine has been on for over a year and it hasn't caused any damage. I have 1 set to 24C and one set to 27C. the one set to 24C never comes on but if the 27C heater ever fails the water won't fall below 24 and I will know I have a problem if the thermometer drops to 24C.

Josias Monge - 9 years ago

+craig wilson I was afraid of if it could melt the polystyrene

craig wilson - 9 years ago

+Josias Monge Hi Josias, I have 2 heaters behind the background where the inlet is for the filter, see 4:09 in the video. I removed the polystyrene all the way to the top of the background and the filters can be taken out very easily.

Fluffie Klots - 9 years ago

This is a VIDEO site !!!!!

craig wilson - 9 years ago

+Fluffie Klots Hello Troll, thanks for stating the obvious, this is a video made from stills. Go Troll somewhere else. Oh and I just checked your channel, NO VIDEOS. GO AWAY TROLL.

Sabin Antony - 9 years ago

Hi Craig thks for the clip its really nice. I did it at home in a small tank and its come out really good. going to do it in my big tank.

craig wilson - 9 years ago

+Sabin Antony Excellent, I'm glad you enjoyed it. They look brilliant when complete and everyone is most impressed :-)

Marcus Braun - 9 years ago

nd then just boring guppies?

craig wilson - 9 years ago

+Marcus Braun They may be boring to you but not to me :-)

Panasonic Ht75 - 9 years ago

I was wondering why you didn't use real stones instead until I read your advice at the end. Wouldn't all that silicon and sealant be poisonous for the fish and plants?

Erica Lyons - 9 years ago

+Panasonic Ht75 Silicone is poisonous when initially wet and inert when cured. After curing it doesn't harm fish. Sealant is the opposite of poisonous; separating reactive things behind a layer of sealant keeps it from dissolving in the water.

Kolly Flahua - 9 years ago

This came out awesome! This is what I want for my aquarium, I just don't know if I have the patience, lol.

Neil Buck - 9 years ago

Craig, your background looks awesome. Like Steven Emmett asks, it would be great if you could list all the materials you used, especially the type of cement and coloring. I have an AR980 and would love to do something similar.

Neil Buck - 9 years ago

+craig wilson Thanks for the speedy response. I also live in UK so i shouldn't have a problem obtaining the items. Look forward to seeing the video.

craig wilson - 9 years ago

+Neil Buck Hi Neil, quite a few people have asked for a list of materials, I'll put a quick video together of everything I used with links to any particular products I used. It'll be UK links as that's where I live but at least people in other countries will get an idea of what they're looking for, give me a day or two and thanks for the positive comments, I appreciate all the good feedback.

Ollie Broadie - 9 years ago

Great video Craig. It looks fantastic. I can't wait to give it a go. Thanks for posting.

Liam Lock - 9 years ago

yes im back again still not started mine as i have lost my job so now saving pennys until i have enough money lol but iv been thinking of how does the heater warm the water is there an over flow at the top or does the water come through the inlet and seep behind were the heater is? sorry for been a pest but this is all i have been thinking about for the past month :/ sad i know haha

Liam Lock - 9 years ago

+craig wilson ahh cheers buddy iv been obssesing over doing my background the misses is getting fed up of me talking about it but im going to start in the next 2 weeks hopefully

craig wilson - 9 years ago

The heaters are in the same void as the filter inlet so when the water travels towards the inlet it gets heated then filtered and returned to a different are of the tank. It works really well.

HalfMan HalfCichlid - 9 years ago

Great idea and looks good. Thought you might be interested in my approach using aluminum foil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcEvh41qZi4

Steven Emmett - 9 years ago

hi craig can you list the stuff you use and where to get it from many thanks steve

Liam Lock - 9 years ago

another question or two. how do you remove the filters if one fails and also if i choose not to seal it and rinse it off for a week or so will it be safe for my centeral american cichlids

Liam Lock - 9 years ago

+craig wilson i think il be putting in a square polystyrene hollow it out so my heater etc can be pulled if needed and il just keep it in water with changes every day until the p.h is back to normal it will either work or fail epicly with fish floating lol il keep my account updated when i get round to doing it thanks for the advice mate

craig wilson - 9 years ago

I use a Rena XP3 external filter so no worries about that, I have 2 x 300w heater behind the background, one set at 27c and one set at 24c. If my temperature drops to 24 then I know one of them has quit. There is a hidden gap at the top of the background to allow them to be removed. As for not sealing it, I won't seal another, the G4 is good at it's job but a pain in the arse if it gets to the polystyrene. I haven't kept cichlids so I can't comment on that, however, my clown and yoyo loaches are fine as are the bristlenoses, guppies, platties and cherry shrimp. I'll try to sort the list of materials and cost as soon as I can.

Liam Lock - 9 years ago

hi craig i love the background and the video at least you show how it can go wrong instead of covering up like alot of people do. i dont suppose you could put together a list and price of what i would need and cost as i would love a go at this i live in hull so easily get things. and i hope everythings ok as iv seen you selling

craig wilson - 9 years ago

Lol no worries buddy, If you need any help, give me a shout.

Liam Lock - 9 years ago

+craig wilson cheers dude once iv got what i need il take pics and do what you have done and share (if all gos to plan) if not il pinch your video haha

craig wilson - 9 years ago

Here you go, under £3 per tube and you want 3 or 4 tubes. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4-X-HA6-RTV-Marine-Silicone-Sealant-Aquarium-Safe-Fish-Water-Tank-Adhesive-/121146283610?pt=UK_Crafts_Cardmaking_Scrapbooking_Glue_Tape_EH&var=&hash=item1c34e1965a

Liam Lock - 9 years ago

+craig wilson
cheers mate. just been looking for silicone thats aquarium safe with out buying the proper stuff not paying them prices way to expensive for what it is.

craig wilson - 9 years ago

I'll take a photo of the heater access and try to post it somewhere so you can see it :-)

Liam Lock - 9 years ago

+craig wilson all sounds good you will have to get some pics etc when you get round to it. once iv got mine sorted (if it works out) il try and upload some pics etc think im going to do a nice sand fall too love the look of them gives the tank a really nice popping factor

craig wilson - 9 years ago

Hi Liam, if you're on Facebook, join DIY Fish Tank Projects and go to the FILES section (here's a link) https://www.facebook.com/groups/601411626548058/786487421373810/ you probably won't be able to see that without joining. I'm admin on there so I'll look out for you. I'm having to part with it due to a neck injury so I'll be getting something 18" deep x 5 or 6 feet, I can't reach into the 2ft deep tank now so I can't look after it properly. I will be building a Background for the new tank with sandfalls at each end with 3 suction pipes each :-)

Elior Banay - 9 years ago

The most amazing background i ever saw and especially the waterfall

craig wilson - 9 years ago

Thank you :-)

Bogdan Lijeskic - 9 years ago

where are you from?

craig wilson - 10 years ago

It sounds like something has leeched out of either the polystyrene, silicone or cement you have used, if you're on Facebook please join DIY Fish Tank Projects group, I'm an admin and you could post a few photos to show me what's going on.

Skylar Grace Barnett - 8 years ago

I sent a request :) I'm glad such a group exists!

MrRookie714 - 10 years ago

Just finished doing my background.. But after rinsing it 6-7x I left the water sit there overnight, the following morning there was white on the rocks, it looked like if there was snow..
Is this normal? Or should I scrub the white stuff?

Gold Vulcan - 10 years ago

Good job

craig wilson - 10 years ago

Thank you :-)

Mason Maj - 10 years ago

Where did you get the 1 mm sand from?

Mason Maj - 9 years ago

so just cover my "sculpture" with concrete and thats it?

craig wilson - 9 years ago

Once the pond sealer is cured it's completely safe, I won't use it again, it caused me too many problems. In future I'll just do the fill and drain flushing.

Mason Maj - 9 years ago

ok so I took a look at it. So I assume the pond sealer is applied after you put the cement on, but is it safe for fish?

craig wilson - 9 years ago

Hi, mine is polystyrene covered in ordinary cement with a bit of black cement colouring added to the last coat. If you're on Facebook, come and join DIY Fish Tank Projects and check the FILES section, there's a list of materials with links to the products. It's worth a look :-)

Mason Maj - 9 years ago

ok, and one more question: can i ask what you covered the artificial stones with? I don't want to kill the fish you know?

craig wilson - 9 years ago

Yes mate, anything smaller will mess up your tank, anything heavier won't be sucked up the air tube :-)

Mason Maj - 9 years ago

Thanks a lot, so its the 1mm sand right?

craig wilson - 9 years ago

Hi Mason, sorry I haven't seen your question before now. Here's a link to it on ebay :-) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/500g-Bag-of-Natural-White-Silica-Sand-for-Aquariums-/121371922476?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item1c4254902c

Sue Tin - 10 years ago

can you teach me how to make that sand waterfall?

craig wilson - 9 years ago

Hi Sue, here's a link to the sandfall video I made. I hope it helps :-) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckswreyVKWI

craig wilson - 10 years ago

This is the link to the colouring I used, I'm in the UK so I bought it from our large DIY retailer similar to your Home Depot. http://www.diy.com/nav/build/building-materials/building-chemicals/cement_additives/Cementone-Colours-for-Cement-Black-365162-1kg-10487599?skuId=10978306

MrRookie714 - 10 years ago

What's the type of coloring that you used?
I'm assuming I could buy it at Home Depot right?
If so, how do I ask for it?

100. comment for 3D Background with Sand Waterfall complete build, including mistakes and fixes.

craig wilson - 10 years ago

Hi MrRookie, yes it's seems to be, both of mine have been behind the background for over 6 months and I've had no problems at all.

MrRookie714 - 10 years ago

Is it safe to put the heater in the back?

About 3D Background with Sand Waterfall complete build, including mistakes and fixes.

The "3D Background with Sand Waterfall complete build, including mistakes and fixes." video is part of the category, which contains similar videos like this one.